No perennial bed can do without original, delicate, even captivating, slightly structured eagle flowers. The Latin generic name of this beautiful plant, Aquilegia, comes from the flower structure with spurs, shaped like eagles' claws (aquila means eagle). It is also possible that it is derived from other Latin words: aqua - water and legere - to collect, because nectar is collected at the bottom of bent spurs. Although the name is associated with eagles, the flowers, after being dried using the herbarium method, resemble a pair of cooing lovebirds. According to the language of flowers, the eagle means different moods.
The eagles belong to the glacial familyRanunculaceae. The genus includes about 120 species that can be found in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In Poland, the common spotted eagle A. vulgaris occurs in a few locations and is under species protection. It can be found in bright deciduous forests, in not too wet thickets growing on fertile soil. It grows in a fairly large dispersion. It prefers sunny to semi-shaded positions. It grows up to 30-60 cm in height. Eagles contain alkaloids, magnoflorin, coumarin and nitrile glycoside, therefore the whole plant is slightly poisonous and, when ingested, causes intoxication, fainting, constriction of the pupils, diarrhea and difficulty breathing. In the past, they were used in folk medicine as an astringent. Currently, the eagles are used only in homeopathy. The eagles effectively deter snails.
The blue spotted eagle comes from the Rocky Mountains of North AmericaA. caerulea, syn. A. sibirica, growing up to 40-80 cm in height.The tallest golden spotted eagle, A. chrysantha, growing up to 80-100 cm, comes from the area stretching from the Rocky Mountains to Texas. The Alps and Pyrenees are overgrown by A. alpina (30-40 cm high). The white-flowering fan-eagle A. flabellata, native to Japan, is of similar height.
The above-mentioned species played a significant role in breeding the lesser spotted eagle. Currently, you can get a huge variety of hybrids, especially the common spotted eagle with mainly American species, with a very varied color of flowers and height. Hybrids were collectively named Aquilegia hybrid or A. cultorum. They have been cultivated as ornamental plants for almost 300 years.
In garden perennial beds, you can grow them in small groups located in the back, because although they bloom for a long time, their leaves dry up after flowering and leave an empty space behind. The vicinity of plants that flourish and bloom at that time (ferns, tawułki, funkies and anemones) will distract from this not very advantageous feature of the eagles.
Growing these beautiful plants is not troublesome.It is enough to provide them with a sunny or semi-shaded position. In full shade, the colors of the flowers become brighter. They grow best in medium-heavy, humus-rich, slightly moist but well-drained soils. Eagles' nutritional requirements are low. All you need is a single spring supply with multi-component fertilizer. We water them only during prolonged drought. Too much moisture within the roots, especially in cold weather, causes their browning, which in turn leads to plant dieback.
Eagles are short-lived perennials and require rejuvenation after 4 years. Then, in August, you can start dividing the clump into parts. Each of them should have a few well-developed shoots and he althy roots. Seedlings can also be obtained from seeds that are sown from March to July in a cold inspection. They should all sprout within a month. After 6-7 weeks, the seedlings can be picked.As a permanent place, plants are best planted in autumn at a distance of 30x40 cm. In the second year after planting, the lesser spotted eagles reach their full development.
It is worth knowing that the eagles spread very easily themselves and then they appear in the least expected places. Since species and varieties interbreed easily, offspring generally differ in quality from their noble parents. Therefore, to prevent such a situation, it is worth cutting the flowers right after they fade.
We protect the eagles from diseases
The most common fungal diseases among the spotted eagles are various types of blotches, which should be combated by spraying several times every 7-10 days with Bravo 500 SC or Topsin M 70 preparations. Powdery mildew is another disease that plagues this perennial. With a small number of plants, you can limit yourself to removing the leaves, but with a larger number, you need to spray 2-3 times every 10-14 days, alternating between Amistar 250 SC or Saprol 190 SC.
